


the love wizard helps

by GiuliaMed



Category: SKAM (Italy)
Genre: 2x09, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Marti is confused, POV Giovanni Garau, love wizard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-09-16 00:51:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16943895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GiuliaMed/pseuds/GiuliaMed
Summary: Giovanni Garau, certified wizard of love, is not only an expert in relationships but also in supporting best friends.





	the love wizard helps

8:55 Giovanni  
_Are you two lovebirds still in Milan? If you’re back, wanna hang out later at Elia’s house? Luchi and Elia are planning the biggest FIFA tournament Italy has ever seen._

There was still no answer before the last class of the day, so he gave it another try.

12:06 Giovanni  
_Or do you need me to cover for you and tell your mom you were in school but went back with me after?_

During the lesson he felt his phone vibrate in his jacket pocket. Gio was sitting in the last row, but his teacher was always attentive so he waited. After a few minutes he cautiously pulled it out.

12:37 Martino  
_It’s ok, I’m at home._

12:38 Giovanni  
_So are you coming?_

Elia leaned over to read the messages. “Ask him to bring alcohol,” he whispered.

“On a monday?” Gio acted as if he was shocked and they both laughed quietly.

12:40 Martino  
_No_

Gio furrowed his brows, waiting for another message, staring at the “online” under Martino’s name. If he was at home Nico wasn’t with him, Gio knew. So why was he so short-spoken?

12:42 Giovanni  
_Is everything ok?_

“Garau!” A loud voice interruped his thoughts and Gio’s head snapped up. The teacher was still looking at him so he let the phone slide back into his pocket.

The bell finally set him free. They walked down the hallway and through the entrance, then stopped to wait for Luca.

Gio checked his phone. No new notification. He opened his chat with Marti. _Last online 12:42._

Elia leaned on the gate, eyes on the students coming out to spot Luca. Gio also let his eyes wander through the crowd, but he was searching for a black-haired boy. Some guys were smoking a few meters away from them and Gio recognized two of them. He saw Nico hang out with them a few times, but he wasn’t with them now. Luca arrived with a wide grin, babbling about some strange substitute teacher and Gio focused back on their conversation while they strolled away from the entrance.

When they were nearly at the corner he took his phone out again. _Why wasn’t he replying?_  
He looked back up and realized he had fallen a bit behind and his friends were waiting, expectant looks on their faces.

“Marti hasn’t replied,” he told Elia, looking back at his phone.

“So? Who knows what he’s doing. Chill.”

But Gio couldn’t chill. Because Marti was not answering him and he knew what that meant. He remembered all the ignored texts in the last few weeks. He remembered how Marti always apologized the next time Gio pointed it out but never gave a real explanation. He knew at that time that the excuses with his parents were not for Gio, they were explanations for Elia and Luca.  
But now everything was out in the open, Gio thought.

“See you later,” Luca said while fist-bumping him. He said goodbye to his friends and turned right at the next corner.

Gio realized Marti was hiding. Again. _“When I get anxious I don’t want to see other people.”_

And Gio couldn’t help it but _it hurt._ It hurt to know that Marti didn’t want to tell him what was bothering him. After all these years of friendship, after everything they went through in the past weeks, Marti still didn’t want him to know. He felt the impulse grow, the urge to confront him, make him talk, shake him until the words fall out, but that wasn’t how Martino worked and Gio knew it. Nevertheless, he didn’t get off the bus at his own stop.

A few minutes later he was standing in front of Martino’s apartment. He rang the bell and for a moment he felt guilty. This was his best friend and Gio was worried but maybe he was overstepping boundaries when Marti clearly didn’t want to talk to him.

He heard quiet footsteps and then the door opened slowly. Martino stood in front of him in sweatpants and a hoodie and Gio looked into weary eyes with dark circles.

“What are you doing here?” Marti’s voice was quiet as a whisper and Gio knew he made the right decision coming here.

“Can I come in?” 

Marti looked down and stayed silent. Then he took a step back, allowing Gio to enter, and closed the door behind them. Gio walked towards the living room and dropped his jacket on one of the chairs around the dinner table. 

“No one else here?”

Martino slowly walked back behind him. “My mom’s at work.”

Gio nodded. He walked over to the sofa and slumped into it, a silent invitation for Martino. Marti stood next to the table for a few seconds but then he took a deep breath and joined him, sitting down a little too far away. His elbows on his knees and head bowed down, he stayed quiet.

“What’s going on?” Gio tried and Marti slowly shook his head, still not looking at him.

“Please, you can tell me,” he urged.

Martino finally looked up and Giovanni immediately recognized the look in his eyes. It was a look he has seen many times before, all those times Gio asked him if something was up. The pleading eyes said _don’t make me talk about it_ , and in the past he was content with supporting his friend the way he wanted him to. Because Giovanni _understood_. When Martino was upset he never directed it at him, but Gio noticed the sadness in his eyes when he thought nobody was looking anymore and Gio knew the reasons, he knew how the relationship with his father and the difficult situation with his mother weighted on the usually cheerful boy.

But he also remembered the night of Covitti’s party, the night of the fight. He remembered how Marti’s eyes were wild. Like every barrier and wall had collapsed. Marti had looked like the whole world betrayed him. Gio remembered wondering if that was the real Martino, the one he carefully hid or if it was the outcome of whatever happened in the club. Gio wondered if he had done the right thing, not pushing Martino when he didn’t want to talk, always forgiving and accepting. Gio wondered if Martino had been a time bomb all along, if that was the moment he went off.

Now, Marti looked like his world has betrayed him again. So this time Gio won’t let it go.

“Marti, what happened?” His worry was increasing with every minute he stayed silent.

Marti looked away again. “He snapped.”

He didn’t understand so he waited for a longer explanation but nothing came.

“Who?”

“Niccolò.”

“What do you mean?” Gio pushed, sliding closer to him.

“We were in Milan.” And Gio knew that part but he kept silent, just watching his friend struggle with the words. “And he just snapped. I called Maddalena and she came with his parents. She explained everything to me.”

“Who’s Maddalena?”

“His ex-girlfriend. He was having an episode.”

Gio’s thoughts were racing, trying to make sense of what Marti was saying.

“That was on Friday?” He felt like he had to drag every answer out of Martino but at least he was talking now.

Marti pressed his lips together and nodded.

“How is he now?” He asked carefully. Gio didn’t knew much about it but he knew there were different phases.

Marti shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t talked to him,” he replied and Gio took a few moments to process.

“You just left him alone in Milan?” The words slipped out in a harsh tone before Gio could stop them. Marti turned to face him.

“No, Maddalena didn’t allow me to see him.”

“The girl he dumped for you didn’t allow you to see your boyfriend and you just listened to her?” Now they were both staring at each other in confusion.

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

Gio raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “You broke up?”

Marti’s face fell and Gio almost couldn’t bear the exhausted expression. “It wasn’t real,” Martino whispered.

“What the hell are you talking about? Is this some game I don’t understand?” Marti flinched at the volume of his voice but he was losing his patience now. “Why wouldn’t it be real?”

Marti furrowed his brows and turned away, and Gio felt bad about the outbreak.

“Sorry, you don’t understand,” Marti said and Gio could sense he was shutting himself off again. “He’s not in love with me." 

"Of course he is.” Gio blinked and stared at the side of Marti’s face. ”He told me.”

Marti turned his head sharply to look at Gio, eyes wide, mouth open. “What?”

“Yeah, at the lake house, a week ago. Why are you so shocked? It was obvious.” Gio really wanted to smack Marti’s head in that moment.

“You talked about me?”

“Well, somebody had to give him the if-you-hurt-my-best-friend-I-am-going-to-kill-you speech. He said you are the best thing that’s happened to him and that he’d never hurt you on purpose,” Gio remembered. “I don’t know what’s going on in your head but maybe you should just ask him what’s going on in his head right now?” Marti flinched at the comment.

Gio watched him try to take in what he said, eyes searching around the room until they settled on his phone on the table.

“Shit. I think I fucked up.” Marti sounded like he was back in the present, his thoughts finally focused, like he was awake again and Gio breathed a sigh of relief. That was what he was here for.

“How about next time you have relationship problems you come to the love wizard himself? Il mago dell’amore is here to help.” Gio teased Marti, knowing he probably already had a remark on his lips.

It was actually one of his favorite things about his best friend. How quick he was to jump in on the fun and banter, how he was always ready to stand up for himself and shoot back with a witty line, how he will search Giovanni’s eyes, daring him to laugh first before they both can’t hold back anymore and burst into laughter.

Martino didn’t comment this time, but that was okay. His small smile was enough today.

Gio closed his eyes and let his forehead drop on Marti’s shoulder.

“Mamma mia! Please talk to me instead of making up theories and making yourself miserable. _‘Lack of proper communication kills every relationship.’_ I can still hear Eva say it.” He felt Marti’s shoulder bounce in silent laughter.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Share your thoughts in a comment or talk to me [on tumblr!](https://annefraid.tumblr.com/)


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